Dissection's Genre:

Scandinavian Metal, Black Metal, Heavy Metal, Death Metal

Biography

Gothenburg, Sweden-based death metal outfit Dissection were formed in 1989 by singer/guitarist Jon Nödtveidt and bassist Peter Palmdahl; with the addition of drummer Ole Öhman the following spring, the group recorded its first demo, The Grief Prophecy. Following the 1991 Corpsegrinder single "Into Infinite Obscurity," Dissection recorded a second demo named The Somberlain, which resulted in a contract with No Fashion Records and their first album (also titled The Somberlain, but also featuring second guitarist John Zwetsloot) in late 1993. Johan Norman replaced Zwetsloot for the follow-up, 1995's Storm of the Light's Bane, but then, in July of 1997, Nödtveidt and a friend were charged with the brutal murder of an Algerian homosexual. Both were convicted and Nödtveidt received an eight-year sentence, bringing about the end of Dissection. Öhman formed a new group called Reaper, and the release of a rarities collection, The Past is Alive, in 1998 felt like the band's last rites. But the ensuing long silence was eventually broken by 2003's Live Legacy box set, and Nödtveidt's release a year later allowed him to finally revive the Dissection name, starting with the two-song Maha Kali EP (part of which was recorded while he was still in jail). A potential collaboration with former Emperor drummer Bard Faust didn't work out, but by late 2005, Nödtveidt had assembled a new Dissection lineup out of guitarist Set Teitan (see also Aborym), bassist Brice Leclercq (of Nightrage), and drummer Tomas Asklund (ex-Dark Funeral). This foursome recorded Dissection's well-received third studio album, Reinkaos, which was issued in May 2006 by The End Records, and seemed to confirm the band's triumphant rebirth -- later documented on the aptly named Rebirth of Dissection in-concert DVD. However, Dissection's summer tour plans were abruptly cut short, and it was announced that the band would split up following a final string of U.S. dates, which were subsequently canceled due to difficulties obtaining an entry visa because of his criminal record. And then, even while fans were still coming to grips with their disappointment, news began spreading across the Internet that the 31-year-old Nödtveidt had committed suicide with a gunshot to the head, surrounded by candles in his Stockholm, Sweden, apartment, sometime around August 16, 2006. Shortly before the suicide, Nödtveidt is said to have sent farewell letters to his father and several friends and acquaintances -- one of which reportedly read, "I'm going away for a long, long time. I'm going to Transylvania." ~ Jason Ankeny & Eduardo Rivadavia

Artists Related to Dissection (10)

Of all the major second wave black metal bands to emerge from Norway's fertile breeding grounds during the early 1990s, only a handful -- Mayhem, Emperor, Enslaved, Ulver -- have achieved the same exalted status and world-wide recognition as the legendary Darkthrone; and arguably none has been as consistent or prolific in the decades that followed.

Of all the Norwegian black metal bands, Immortal has, arguably, stuck the closest to the mystical, occult-inspired vision of the scene: the bandmembers kept the evil-Kiss makeup throughout the band's existence, rarely experimented outside of the traditional guitars-drums-bass instrumental configuration, and never revealed their real names.

The Swedish death metal band Hypocrisy was formed by Peter Tägtgren in 1990 upon his return to Sweden from Florida, where he had been inspired by that state's flourishing death metal scene (bands like Morbid Angel, Deicide, Death, and Obituary).

Scandinavian metal legends Entombed were at the forefront of the death metal uprising, releasing their influential debut, Left Hand Path, in 1990, just as the movement was beginning to proliferate internationally.

When attention first focused on Norway's almost cartoonishly violent black metal scene in the mid-'90s, Mayhem were dubbed its godfathers, but most of the critical accolades were bestowed upon Emperor, whose musical innovations have had more impact on the genre than any other band.

Blending black metal's most brutal tendencies, the melancholic beauty of opera, and industrial metal's production techniques, Dimmu Borgir carved a niche in the metal world as one of the most savage and creative acts to hail from the Norwegian scene.

One of the more melodic death metal bands to expand beyond Sweden and spread their sound across the world alongside peers such as Entombed, At the Gates played a significant role in the death metal genre before breaking up in 1996, leading to the formation of the Haunted.